UK Ordered to Pay £420 Million to Families of 1949 Enugu Massacre Victims

British Government

UK Ordered to Pay £420 Million to Families of 1949 Enugu Massacre Victims

In a historic ruling, an Enugu State High Court has ordered the British Government to pay £420 million in compensation to the families of 21 Nigerian miners killed during the 1949 Iva Valley massacre in Enugu State, more than 75 years after the atrocity.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Anthony Onovo described the killings as an unlawful and extrajudicial violation of the right to life, holding the British colonial administration responsible for the deaths of miners who were shot while peacefully protesting harsh working conditions, racial wage disparities, and unpaid allowances at the Iva Valley Coal Mine on November 18, 1949.

Under the ruling, each of the 21 families will receive £20 million, totaling £420 million, with 10% post-judgment interest per annum until full payment is made. The court also directed the UK Government to issue unreserved written apologies, to be published in major Nigerian and British newspapers within 60 days.

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Justice Onovo dismissed claims that the case was time-barred, emphasizing that serious human rights violations remain justiciable regardless of how much time has passed. The judge also criticized the Nigerian federal government for years of inaction, directing authorities to engage diplomatically with the UK within 60 days to ensure compliance and enforcement of the judgment.

The 1949 Enugu Colliery massacre saw colonial police fire on unarmed miners who were demanding better wages and safer working conditions, resulting in the death of 21 miners and injuries to dozens more. The massacre has long been regarded as a symbol of colonial-era oppression and injustice in Nigeria.

Human rights lawyers representing the victims’ families hailed the judgment as historic and precedent-setting, asserting that it reinforces the principle that governments can be held accountable for grave abuses regardless of the passage of time. Justice Onovo also rejected claims of sovereign immunity, stating that the right to life transcends time, borders, and changes in sovereignty, and that states cannot evade responsibility for abuses committed under colonial administrations.

The ruling is expected to have far-reaching implications for other unresolved colonial-era human rights violations in Nigeria, offering hope for further accountability and reparations for historical injustices.